The RPG That Shoulda Changed the World (But Didn’t)
Jeremy Parish of Gamespite hosts an online zine that’s pretty excellent. I also owe him two goats and a cow, but that’s another story.
I wanted to point out this month’s issue for an excellent summary of a long-forgotten RPG, Breath of Fire V (sub-branded as “Dragon Quarter”). The summary is written by Gamespite forum resident Mightyblue, to whom I owe two more goats and a sheep.
The mechanics of Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter are hard to explain, but here’s what’s important: It was not a typical RPG. In some ways, it was as bare-bones as an RPG gets; there was a simple story, a simple objective and three characters leading the game in an era where a cast of thousands was expected. The graphics were likewise spartan, untouched by the colourful terrain and man-beast races that usually populate the Breath of Fire series (the only tribute BOF: DQ gives to its furry heritage is Lin, a member of the catlike worren clan).
In other ways, the game was bottomless. Winning battles took careful strategy and planning. One slip up could send you way, way back. But that’s what the game wanted you to do: Start over when you were outmatched. Build yourself up and keep on slogging. Revisiting the story never became monotonous because new cinemas were revealed upon each play-through.
BOF: DQ was fierce. It was unforgiving. It was also balanced like two sacks of flour on a seesaw. If you lost (and you often would), it was strictly your own fault.
It was also just not a lot of fun, at least not for me.
I very much appreciated what Capcom was trying to do, but I can also understand why the game, despite critical acclaim, just didn’t catch on. I’m not a very anxious person, but planning every single step of a fight stressed me out. Sometimes I want to hit “auto” and go make a sandwich.
Budding dictators adored the strategy involved, but I guess there are more jittery, squirrelly gamers like myself out there than calm, rational thinkers. BOF: DQ tanked. In fact, Capcom will probably never make a Breath of Fire game ever again, not even a traditional one. It’s a shame; I like Ryu. He’s got fangs.
Tags: Breath of FireRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Capcom, Playstation 2
3 opinions for The RPG That Shoulda Changed the World (But Didn’t)
Mightyblue
Mar 5, 2008 at 3:11 pm
Heh,
Thanks for the linkage and the thumbs up Nadia!
David
Mar 5, 2008 at 10:52 pm
I would have loved that game if it weren’t for the character design. I understand that they’ve been living underground for centuries but that shouldn’t mean everyone (except the fanservice bait Lin) should look like a crack addict.
Because honestly, that’s what the BoF series was all about to me. Cool-ass characters with random, insert-animal-here awesomeness.
Nadia
Mar 6, 2008 at 8:28 am
Mightyblue: You’re very welcome! It was a great article, though it kind of made me regret I couldn’t finish the game. I slipped up once and got sent way, way back.
David: lol at the crack addict remark. Yeah, the graphics were ugly to say the least. I kind of liked Lin, but I’ve always liked the Worren clan.
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